Doors open at 5:00pm, with the storytelling beginning promptly at 7:00pm
- Weekly series combining great food with great stories about Cleveland’s past
- FREE ADMISSION – NO COVER CHARGE
- Pre Fixe 3-course dinner option just $20
This week’s menu:
- Heart of Romaine
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Lady Fingers
Robert Sberna, Laura Paglin
Story topic this week…
House of Horrors: The Shocking True Story of Anthony Sowell – In 2009, a Cleveland Police SWAT team entered Anthony Sowell’s home to arrest him on a sexual assault complaint. Inside, police found a nightmarish scene: The bodies of 11 women were strewn throughout the house and buried in the back yard. House of Horrors author Robert Sberna takes audience members into the mind of a killer by discussing his interviews with Sowell’s surviving victims, family, neighbors, and even Sowell himself. Filmmaker Laura Paglin, whose film Unseen examines the Sowell case, will discuss the plight of Sowell’s victims and the failings of the criminal justice system in this tragic episode. Paglin will also show the trailer for Unseen, which is slated for worldwide release in 2018.
Robert Sberna Bio
Robert Sberna is a journalist and the author of House of Horrors: The Shocking True Story of Anthony Sowell. Published by Kent State University Press, House of Horrors was named the 2012 true crime Book of the Year by Foreword Reviews. A graduate of Ohio University’s School of Journalism, he began his career covering police beats for daily newspapers in the Midwest. In recent years, Sberna has contributed articles to The Washington Examiner, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Neoconomist, Crain’s, Cleveland Magazine and Ohio Magazine. His second book, Badge 387: The Story of Jim Simone, America’s Most Decorated Cop, was published in 2016 by Kent State University Press. www.robertsberna.com
Laura Paglin Bio
Laura Paglin is a documentary filmmaker whose recent films have dealt with the issues of struggling communities. No Umbrella: Election Day in the City premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO. Facing Forward: A Student’s Story, which focused on a charismatic but troubled inner-city teen, aired nationally on PBS. Paglin recently completed Unseen, which tells the horrific story of the Anthony Sowell serial murders in Cleveland. Unseen premiered at the 2016 Cleveland International Film Festival and will soon be released worldwide. Laura’s work can be seen at www.creativefilmmakers.org.
The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past – from sports, to rock ‘n roll, to Millionaire’s Row, — the series will focus on tidbits from Cleveland’s past that will really thrill the audience. The Music Box is presenting this series in partnership with the Western Reserve Historical Society’s new Cleveland History Center. We think the Cleveland History Center is one of the most important museums in Cleveland. An unknown gem that Clevelanders should know more about, and support. It is the only museum in Cleveland dedicated to preserving and documenting the history of Cleveland. The Cleveland History Center includes two mansions, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, Chisholm Halle Costume Wing, Research Library, Kidzibits Hands-On Gallery, rotating exhibitions, and the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.